Rachelle Agbossou is a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from Benin Republic. Founder and Artistic Director of the Compagnie de danse Walô and the Walô Dance Center in Abomey-Calavi, it is with a woman completely at ease in her sneakers or, let's say, in her feet and her body that Afrique Destinations talked about her passion and her job as a dancer.
Afrique Destinations: How did you come to dance?
Rachelle Agbossou: Without premeditation and without training in a formal dance school. My background is atypical. I started dancing out of friendship at the Ensemble Artistique et culturel des Étudiants (Editor's Note : Artistic and Cultural Group of Abomey-Calavi University Students) in 1999. But there was this passion contained by the urgency and the obligation vis-à-vis the parents to complete the studies. The click is created then my first hours at the National Ballet of Benin Republic convinced me that the place where I would like to be is in dance. I had found my profession.
As far as you can go back in your memories, is there something that predestined you there?
Rachelle Agbossou: My father made all his children dance lovers. He taught me the basic steps of Salsa, Zouk, etc., and he motivated my older brother Igor and me to participate in dance competitions alongside the adults. We lived in Natitingou in northern Benin Republic. I was always very happy when we won 2nd or 3rd place. In catechism, the Nansi brothers, artists at heart, introduced me to theatre, dance and song in a group of children. The virus was inoculated I believe.
What does dance mean to you in general today?
Rachelle Agbossou: Personally, dance is and produces the air I need to breathe and live. Beyond the profession, it is the engine of my existence, the essence of my actions as a human being, as a citizen, as a woman, as a leader. It is an infallible means of communication and raising awareness, so I have made it my leitmotif at Compagnie Walô. Make dance a development tool likely to touch consciences.
What kind of dances do you do?
Rachelle Agbossou: Traditional dances and contemporary dance.
If you were asked how do you view traditional African dance, what would you say?
Rachelle Agbossou: The peoples who have maintained their cultural identity have a fairly strong intangible heritage up to the present day. When I look at Burundi with its sacred dances and drums, the Guèdè dance of Kétou and the heritage dances as preserved in rural areas and which retain all their authenticity, I have hope that despite the weather Africa will always have its values to wear proudly. Traditional African dance can develop without losing its authenticity.
In your eyes, what is contemporary dance today in Africa?
Rachelle Agbossou: Who says contemporary dance says my body expression when I move. So whether in Africa or elsewhere, contemporary dance is an art that responds to the realities of the moment. And in Africa contemporary dance is booming with very talented dancers who each have ideals to defend, messages to convey. African states should accompany dancers in their search for choreography and not leave this responsibility only to foreign institutions which sometimes tend to direct or divert the talk of young creators towards other ideals.
Can we really flourish in dance in the full sense of the word "flourish". And if so, what would you say to young women who would be tempted but who are still reluctant to take the plunge?
Rachelle Agbossou: My answer is yes. You already have to be passionate, available, get trained, educate yourself, dare, and always do good quality work, whether you're a man or a woman. And to young women I would add, let no pressure whatsoever (biological, family, religious, political...) prevent you from living your dream of dancing. A job well done always pays off. And beyond money, the pleasure of the soul is great wealth.
Interview by Serge Félix N’Piénikoua
